Handle or knob for cooking utensils.



PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907.

DEG

No. 841,364. Y

, 'AJWIOKW HANDLE 0R KNOB FOR 0 APPLICATION FILED ING UTENSILS. .13,1905.

ALFRED WICKWAR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HANDLE OR KNOB FOB COOKING UTENSILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application filed December 13, 1905. Serial No. 291,526.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, ALFRED WIOKWAR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inHandles or Knobs for Cooking Utensils or the Like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in handles or knobsfor cooking utensils and the like, and has for its object to provide ahandle or knob for cooking utensils or the like which may be easily andquickly applied or removed from the article to which it is designed tobe attached.

A further object of my device is to so construct the handle or knob thatthe same may be manufactured at a comparatively small cost andwhen onceattached to the article for which it is designed as a handle or knob itwill not become accidentally displaced from the same, but may be easilyremoved whenever it is desired to do so.

WVith these ends in view this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same, the constructionand operation will now be described in detail, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich Figure 1 is a vertical section through my improved handle or knob,showing the same attached to the cover of a cooking utensil; Fig. 2, avertical section through the knob or handle proper by itself, thesection being taken at right angles to that shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, aside elevation of the wire latch or catch by which means the knob orhandle is automatically attached to the cover of the cooking utensil;Fig. 4, a plan view of the plate designed to cover the bottom of theknob or handle and be attached to the knob or handle by the wings orfingers extending outward from the same.

The usual manner of attaching knobs or handles to the cover of cookingutensils and the like is to provide a wooden knob or handle having avertical opening formed therethrough, through which is adapted to extenda screw-threaded bolt, the lower end of which bolt is adapted to extendthrough the cover of the cooking utensil, and a washer and nut aresecured upon the lower end of said bolt but the great disadvantage ofthis construction is that the nut is liable to work loose from the boltand drop within the utensil and the knob become loose. My improved knobor handle is designed to be attached to the cover of the utensilautomatically by simply pressing downward upon the same, and after itisso attached it cannot become accidentally displaced from the sameunless some of the parts become broken.

A represents the knob or handle, which is com osed, preferably, of woodor other materia non-conducting to heat, and the lower portion of thisknob or handle is preferably flattened, and across the lower portion isformed a slot or groove B.

C is the latch or catch for securing the handle to the utensil andcomposed of one piece of wire bent so as to form a loop D, said loop Dbeing only of sulhcient height or width to fit wlthin the groove or slotB within the handle A, and the ends of the wire extend downward fromnear the center of the lower run of this loop D, said ends extendingdown vertically for a certain distance, and this vertical portion of theends being normally separated from one another a slight distance, asshown in Fig. 3, the wire then being bent outward horizontally, so as toform the shoulders E, and then the ends of the wire are bent inward anddownward toward one another, so as to be inclined but these ends of thewire are so separated normally a distance from one another the same asthe vertical portions of the latch or catch previously described.

F is a circular plate of substantially the same diameter as the lowerflattened portion 5 of the knob or handle A, and through the center ofthis plate is formed a slot G, through which the downwardly-extendingportions of the catch C are adapted to extend. Thus the plate F willhold the elongated loop D of the catch C within the slot B, and thisplate F may be secured to the handle A in any manner desired, aconvenient means being here shown, as by providing the plate F with theears or fingers H, adapted to be bent upward around the lower portion ofthe knob or handle, as shown in Fig. 1. The vertical portions D of thewire catch are long enough and extend a sufficient distance below theplate F to allow space forv the material composing the cover of thecooking utensil (represented at I) to enter between the plate F and theshoulders E of the catch.

In applying the handle or knob to a cover of a utensil an opening isformed through the top of the cover, which opening is smaller indiameter than the distance between the outer ends of the shoulders Ewhen the catch is in its normal position; but said opening through thecover is large enough to emit the passage of the shoulders E through theopening when the two ends of the wire catch are pressed together. Thuswhen the parts of the knob or handle are assembled it is simplynecessary to insert the inclined ends of the wire catch within theopening of the cover of the utensil and press downward, and on accountof the ends of the catch being inclined said ends will be pressedtogether until the shoulders E will pass through the opening in thecover of the utensil. Then the ends of the catch will spring apart andthe knob will be locked in place and cannot again be removed until theends of the catch are pressed together and the knob lifted up.

It will be seen by the foregoing description that I have provided animproved knob or handle for cooking utensils and the like which may be.manufactured at a comparatively small cost, which may be attached to anycover of any utensil easily and quickly, and will not be accidentallydetached from the same, but can be just as easily and quickly removed atany time desired.

In the old form of attaching the knob or handle by means of a bolt andnut the nut is very liable to become rusted and so attached to the boltthat it cannot be easily removed; but with my improved device when theutensil has become useless the knob can be easily detached therefrom andsaved for another utensil.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction hereinshown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis In a device of the character described, a knob or handle beingflattened at the lower end, a transverse groove-formed across the lowersurface of the knob or handle, a springcatch consisting of one piece ofwire bent so as to form an elongated loop adapted to lie within thegroove formed in the handle, the ends of the wire composing the loopapproaching one another but not meeting near the center of the lower runof the loop, said ends then being bent downward vertically for a slightdistance, each of said ends then being bent outward horizontally inopposite directions from one another to form shoulders, then being bentdownward and inward toward one another, a plate adapted to fit over thelower end of the knob, said plate being provided with an opening formedthrough the center of the same through which the downwardly-extendingends of the springloop are adapted to extend, means for scour-- ing saidplate to the knob or handle, the vertical portion of thedownwardly-extending ends of the spring-loop extending a sufficientdistance below the plate to allow the material composing the cover ofthe utensil to fit in between the shoulders of the catch and said plate,as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED WICKWAR.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J. SOHAEFER, L. W. MORRISON.

